Italian Investor Visa

Italy is the third-largest economy in the Eurozone and the eighth largest globally. It is also a major entry point into a market of more than 500 million consumers in the European Union and 300 million in North Africa and the Middle East.
Attracting foreign investment is among the strategic priorities of the Italian government, which is strongly committed to creating a favorable environment for foreign investors. Investing in Italy today can prove to be a great opportunity.
To encourage foreign investment in Italy, Italy introduced the foreign investor visa. This visa is generically referred to as “residence by investment,” which is the issuance of a residence permit to foreigners who make a certain investment in Italy. The investment must be made within 90 days of entering Italy.
The non-EU citizen, therefore, will have the opportunity to enter Italy, obtain a residence permit, and only then invest. The investment must be made in full in a single company. The initial investment must be maintained for the duration of the residence permit.
Therefore, it is not possible to divest or replace the investment before the expiration of the residence permit, under penalty of revocation of the permit. The non-EU citizen interested in the residence permit for investors must provide appropriate documentation to prove that the financial means used to invest are derived from a lawful source and that he or she has not – in the last 10 years – been convicted of any criminal offenses in Italy or in the foreign country where he or she resides.
An investor residence permit allows the investor to work in Italy. If the investor is working in Italy, he or she will have the right to access free health care (under the same conditions as Italian citizens). The first investor residence permit is valid for two years. Upon expiration, the non-EU citizen may

apply for renewal of the residence permit for an investor for another three years. In this case, the initial investment must be maintained for another three years. On the second expiration date, the foreigner may convert the investor residence permit into an EU long-term resident permit (formerly a residence card), i.e., a permanent residence permit.

After 10 years from the date of issuance of the first residence permit, the foreign investor will be able to apply for citizenship and, thus, an Italian passport through the naturalization-by-residence procedure.

Foreign nationals investing in Italy can apply for an investor’s residence permit, and, in addition, they can opt for a flat-rate taxation regime on all income generated outside Italian territory by paying the fixed and predetermined amount of €200,000.00 annually.

ICLF is active in assisting foreign clients who want to obtain an investor visa in Italy and offers client-tailored services to foreign nationals intending to obtain an Italian investor residence permit. Such service includes assistance with the performance of the investment in Italy and with the issuance of the Italian residence permit for both the investor and his/her family members.